Feeding program

[rainechyldes]

As a nice break from bare/shod- I thought hmm nutrition!

I’ve been rethinking my feeding program, still in the rethinking stage. All my horses of course get different variants, I’ve mainly been rethinking my main competition horses feed, he didn’t bounce back as quickly as I’m used to after his 50 this weekend. (still looking a tad lite)

His normal feed is per day/ he’s about 950lbs give or take -think tall and lanky:)

Approx 30 lbs of grass hay
3 lbs of beet pulp ( dry weight)
1 cup oil
1 tsp salt
free choice salt/mineral block- which he plays with more then uses. heh

Once a week his feed is topdressed with a vitamin/mineral supplement (mainly for vit E, )

I’m thinking of adding some grains, which I generally shy away from.
I’m pondering crimped oats, of course Arabs and oats., always a not fun mix, but…hmm. the numbers are right. Corn is an option, but feeding corn has never been something I feel confident over- due to it’s issues with potentially being rancid:/

I of course don’t want a high protein feed choice, since protein and endurance don’t work to well together. Seems most the complete feeds I’ve look at, appear to have a very high protein content:/ that said, I do have complete feed around, he’ll get a handful now and then, but it’s not in his regular everyday regimen.

so looking for ideas, or what others are feeding.

Edited to add: he is on pasture about 5 hours a day as well.

[chicamuxen1]

Actually, any hard working horse needs extra protein. Add the oats. I’ve been using oats and beet pulp for around 6 years now and like the combo. For my picky eater I do take some sweet feed along to the vet checks, he can have all he wants then.

I’ve also learned to keep my horses fatter coming into a ride. but I have beefy built horses and if I let them get leaner they are simply too lean for their body type. A friend has one of the Arabs that has very flat, lean muscles, so fat on her has a different look than fat on my chunky boys. Their round, bulky muscles can make them look fat when they aren’t really carrying much fat.

Bonnie S.

[Diamond_Jake]

Wow,
I love comparing feeds. Jake gets:

16Lbs of grass hay (soaked)
1/2 cup beet pulp (dry wieght)
1/2 cup Nutrenna senior (for flavor)
1/2 cup flax ( supposed to help with sand colic)
Life data labs supplement
Scoop Cetyl M (joint supplement)
2 oz Thyroid supp

He is out on pasture about 2 1/2 hours a day. Hoping to work up to 8 hours at night.

Isn’t it amazing the different needs of horses?

[Lifting_Chickk]

I’ve been feeding Beet Pulp and Oats for a little over a year now, and I’m very happy with the combination. My horse seems to require more protien to look and feel her best, so I also add Alfalfa.

Her meals are as follows:

AM/PM:

2lbs whole oats mixed with 2 cans (1lb size coffee cans) dry beet pulp shreds, Vitaflex Accel, Weight Builder and MSM. Mix with water before feeding.

3 1/2 lbs Dengie Alfa Supreme, watered for dust

3-4 flakes of Timothy/Grass hay

She’s a big girl, and has been looking great on this diet with plenty of energy.

[JetsBuddy]

I don’t do endurance but we do trail ride and my daughter competes in gaming. I’ve got a 14 hand Mexican Mustang and a 15.1 hand TWH gelding. The TWH was between a 1 and 2 body condition and the Mustang lost some weight over the winter due to a boarding situation. Right now they are out on grass 24/7 (not high grass but a grass pasture that has just enough to keep them busy and get nutrition throughout the day) plus they get some grass hay (I don’t weight it) - about 4 flakes a day. They are currently fed twice a day. The Mustang gets 2 pounds crimped sweet feed with a top dress of crimped soy beans each feeding and the TWH gets 1 pound crimped sweet with 1 pound of crimped soy beans each feeding. The soy beans are high fat and protein with no sugar and have done wonders for both of them. The Mustang is back to what his weight should be and the TWH has gained over 100 pounds since March. Both are ridden 2-3 times per week. The sweet feed has a high concentration of oats and is easily digested because it’s crimped. We adjust their grain amounts as needed and will increase hay as the grass diminishes. I like to have free choice grazing so they will have grass/timothy round bales in the winter. They have access to a mineral block. Both horses are kept outside with access to a large shed. Both are wormed regularly.

[CoopsZippo]

My horse is on

Rolled oats approx 2 lbs (rolled on site before each feeding)…
Minerals formulated for the area we live in…
2 flakes of hay am and pm
12 hours of turnout.
And his Flex Plus

He has never looked better. I was seriously doubtful about just feeding oats as my horse is a hard keeper. I had to supplement him with my own feed (Blue Seals Vintage Versatility) when they were feeding just Nutrena Safe Choice. But I gave it a shot and I am super happy and it saves me $$ every month.

[Jess1]

My new mare is on a different diet, but this is what my other endurance mare always got:

AM/PM

• 2lbs rice bran
• 1.5lbs rolled oats
• 3lbs beet pulp shreds [that’s dry weight]
• 1/2 cup flax seed

And pretty much all the alfalfa she could eat. She wasn’t a big eater, so it was tough trying to get her to eat a bunch of hay. I’m thinking probably 20lbs of alfalfa a day, if that. It kept the weight on her nicely, though.

[Auventera_Two]

This is my endurance mare:
(Pics taken 2 days ago)
http://hphoofcare.com/Sweetsattrailer.jpg
http://hphoofcare.com/SweetsWater.jpg

This is what she eats right now:

24/7 pasture grass
Alfalfa hay at trailer and in stall on work days
1 lb. custom grain mix (omolene 200/whole oats/boss)
2 ounces Flax
Equishine vit/min supplement
Soaked beet pulp on work days

She is ridden about 20 miles a week right now. Some weeks more.

Here is my stallion who has just started under saddle:
(Photo taken a couple weeks ago)

http://hphoofcare.com/AndreJuly309.jpg

This is what he eats right now:
24/7 pasture grass
Free choice alfalfa hay
7 pounds custom grain mix (see above)
2 ounces Flax
Equishine vit/min supplement
Soaked beet pulp 2x daily

He does ground work and free longing, plus light riding.

I’m skipping photos and details on the other 2 horses because they’re just for pleasure trail riding.

[Cashela]

Wow A T your horses look great!!!

[rainechyldes]

I think oats is where I need to go, thanks for the input.

He hates rice bran, won’t eat it at all - so thats a no go.

They used to make COB here without molasses, but the feed store can’t get it anymore, blargh.
He holds his weight fine as is , but… I see a potential problem creeping up this year, and need to address it. He comes through vetting with all A’s, it’s the ‘after race’ I’m seeing a small issue. So obvious to me that he isn’t getting enough somewhere.

As he took a day longer then normal this past week to lose the ‘I just raced look’ and that made me go hmmm. Which worries me as this is the horse I’m taking up to 100s next year. Been 50s all this year for conditioning.

I have some alfalfa here, I always keep some around, but I’ve never been a huge fan of alfalfa for distance horses, however I think I’m going to experiment and add a bit to his hay intake as well.

[KarenC]

If you are seeing it after the ride rather than during it, I’d consider adding some protein. I just had this discussion with my husband (who is a vet) last night (just came back from a ride) and he has suggested adding a higher protein feed POST-ride (not pre ride and not during the ride) as the protein is vital to repair and build new muscle. I agree it is not a good choice for energy during the ride (I believe protein is the least efficient energy source - fats first, then carbs, then protein - someone correct me if I’m wrong), and I don’t feed a high protein feed as part of the normal routine, but I understand his logic. I’m going to add the protein with soaked alfalfa cubes - I’ve tried her on omolene but I think the sweet feed makes her more spooky than normal - and the alfalfa cubes are actually 15% protein vs. the 14%. The fact that some studies show that alfalfa can be helpful in the prevention/treatment of ulcers also makes it a better choice for me than a sweet feed (my mare does not have ulcers, but I would like to keep it that way).

I am still playing with her feeding regimen (trying to eliminate any diet elements that might contribute to spookiness) but it will contain some mixture of soaked beet pulp/alfalfa (more alfalfa post ride, less for regular working times), oats (just started on this - glad to see so many using it) and ultium for the fat content, although I hope to phase that out and just add oil and only feed the ultium at rides.

Note that I about as far from a nutritional expert or an experienced endurance rider as you can get - I only have 3 50s and some LDs/CTRs under my belt - so this opinion is worth as much as you paid for it :winkgrin:.

[rainechyldes]

Yes I’m definitely seeing it post ride, not before/during.
And you are right, protein is more inefficient as an energy source during competition.

So would that be feasible though, adding a protein source post ride? That a horse normally doesn’t eat? My horse has a cast iron stomach, but I wonder that doing such could possibly cause digestive upset?

I guess one way would to be have him on a minimal protein food before/during, and then simply up it post ride for a few days to get him back up to speed.

I’m no expert either, been competing for 20 years, but… sitting down to work out feeds/numbers always makes my head hurt:)

[ride2endure]

I’m bringing along a new horse for distance - we’re aiming for our first CTR in September or our first LD in October (still debating). Here’s what he gets -

24/7 pasture + grass
1.5# Triple Crown 30% supplement
1.5-2# beet pulp (post-soaking weight) only on work days
Quiessence (Mg-based supplement)
1 cup Nutrena Empower (fat supplement)

He’s staying conditioned just fine on this feeding plan. I can just barely feel his ribs, and he has a small fat pad behind his shoulders. I’d likely give him a 5/9 BCS. I get mixed opinions from others, some call him fat, others say he’s just right. I think it just depends on how he’s standing. In this picture, I say he’s just right; but in this picture, a little more round.

[Diamond_Jake]

I don’t think he looks all that bad. Always hard to tell from a picture, but he certainly is not fat. Personally I would be happy with him!

I always like how Jake looks after a ride- nice and lean. Since he has always been a chubby guy. Then a day or two later he can look a little chunky again. So I think they always have a little ebb and flow, you know?

They were discussing protein on here just a little while ago. Is your complete feed 30% protein? I do not know if I have ever seen one that high. But I am only inquiring because I do not have a huge knowledge of complete feeds, and I have not looked into protein levels in feeding the endurance horse.

I am still amazed at how little I feed Jake compared to everyone esle. of course, we are barely up to 10 - 15 miles a week for conditioning right now.

[Auventera_Two]

@Diamond Jake;4234560

They were discussing protein on here just a little while ago. Is your complete feed 30% protein? I do not know if I have ever seen one that high. But I am only inquiring because I do not have a huge knowledge of complete feeds, and I have not looked into protein levels in feeding the endurance horse.

TC 30% is a high powered nutrition supplement, similar to the Purina Amplify supplement. These are meant to be fed at 1-2 lbs. per day, maximum, in addition to forage and other feeds if necessary.

These types of supplements are a step beyond the vit/min supplements in that they include fat and protein.

[midwestrocket]

I feed Legends performance horse pelleted feed. I believe it to be 12% fat and 12% protein. along with manna pro sho-flex (vit/joing supp), a homemade electrolyte combo (thank you chronicle horse forums! ) and a splash of veggie oil. I just started throwing the veggie oil in and its really glossing up his coat, and not giving him stupid energy. I can only hope its helping fatten him up a bit!

This horse usually competes in NBHA and IBRA speed events and runs in the 1d. He has since started to turn alley sour so we are aiming our energy at our first CTR in sept!

ride2endure where is your september ride??? it wouldnt happen to be a 25 miler at fair hill would it??? If so, see ya there!

[rainechyldes]

I admit, I try to stay away from anything higher then 12-14% protein as a rule.

It’s also possible after race condition is more noticeable on this horse, he’s a very lean horse naturally. Not skinny, but very slim and narrow in the chest/barrel and pelvic region. So the loss of lbs during competition might just be that they are more noticeable on him.

I picked up oats yesterday, and will start him on them today. I’m sure he won’t complain about that:) hehe.

[midwestrocket]

I cannot help but to think my own nutritional program…I am a figure competitor and I wouldn’t turn to oats for for my body…too much of a good thing! granted oats are a complex carbohydrate but I’m thinking of distance horses like runners…I realize that marathon runners carb up the night before to shove as much glycogen into the muscle to take the distance…but protein is equally as important! we are all, after all, one great big protein ball aren’t we??? Oats I’m sure will do something…Granted I have no intentions of carbing up my horse the night before a distance ride…sounds like colic to me!But after heavy excercise the body needs protein to repair itself…so why do you shy away from higher protein feeds? Just trying to wrap my mind around things

[Kyzteke]

Sorry if this has been suggested, as I hadn’t time to read all the replies.

Unless you have had your hay analyzed, you should be adding a DAILY multi-vit/min supplement. Use one formulated for your area if possible. I use one that has extra Se+, because the PNW is famous for being Se+ deficent.

Then, I would agree that a “using” horse needs more protein, which beet pulp and grass hay cannot supply. “Using” horses need the protein to build muscle & tissue – this is what protein does – and they will not be getting enough through just hay/BP. Your horse may be slow to bounce back because he isn’t getting enough protein.

I think oats are a great feed and they are cheap. Pretty high protein. A rich alfalfa hay is also high protein.

Also, I would up the salt to a Tbsp per day…I give my breeding stock 2 Tbsp daily of plain, white salt and I have no issues.

A horse doing 50 miles a day with a rider would need more sodium, not less.

Feeding is really a large part individual AND variable.

[rainechyldes]

[QUOTE=Kyzteke;4237418]
Sorry if this has been suggested, as I hadn’t time to read all the replies.

Unless you have had your hay analyzed, you should be adding a DAILY multi-vit/min supplement. Use one formulated for your area if possible. I use one that has extra Se+, because the PNW is famous for being Se+ deficent.

Feeding is really a large part individual AND variable.[/QUOTE]

Hay is analyzed, sorry I forgot to mention that. So according to my math, ( I might get my vet to check it over) the weekly supplement is covering it, but good idea- I’ll check into that one, thx:) We get our hay from back east, it’s not local.